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>We need to federalize zoning just like Japan. Nit-pick: Japan does not have "federalized zoning", or federalized anything. Japan does not have a federal gov

>We need to federalize zoning just like Japan. Nit-pick: Japan does not have "federalized zoning", or federalized anything. Japan does not have a federal government; nor, does Ireland, nor most other countries in the world. This is an Americanism (though it applies to Germany too). In most countries, which have unitary governments, the top-most level of government is the "national government", so what you want is "nationalized zoning". Anyway, yes, Japan's nationalized zoning is great. We're not having the ridiculous housing problems I keep reading about in western nations. However, it does have its detractors, like westerners vising Japan and then whining about how all the buildings look so different from each other and there's no "character". If you want historically-preserved neighborhoods, or neighborhoods where all the buildings have the same theme and architectural style, you won't find it in most of Japan.

seanmcdirmid 4y ago
> you won't find it in most of Japan. What about historic districts? I noticed some unified styles around Asakusa (noticed while walking home drunk from Uueno, lively red lanterns everywhere and no high rises, just row homes), and definitely in Kyoto’s old town. I’m guessing this is mostly for the tourists, however.
- midoridensha 4y ago
  You're not going to find a huge high-rise right next to a bunch of row homes; there's rules against that. High-rises have to have a certain amount of space around them anyway, but also there's rules about how much you're allowed to block your neighbors' sunlight. Basically, making taller buildings is allowed, but they can only be so much taller than the surrounding buildings. Over time, this means things could get very tall, but not quickly. As for unified styles, there's no laws about that AFAIK. They're probably just like that because the landowners want it that way. Lots of stuff in Japan is done (or not done) without any formal laws or rules, but rather because of social pressure and consensus. It's possible that some very unique or culturally-important districts do have certain rules though, which is why I wrote "... in most of Japan".
  - fomine3 4y ago
    There's landscape policy per town https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/page/0000281400.html https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/page/0000281400.html

seanmcdirmid 4y ago

> you won't find it in most of Japan. What about historic districts? I noticed some unified styles around Asakusa (noticed while walking home drunk from Uueno, lively red lanterns everywhere and no high rises, just row homes), and definitely in Kyoto’s old town. I’m guessing this is mostly for the tourists, however.

midoridensha 4y ago
You're not going to find a huge high-rise right next to a bunch of row homes; there's rules against that. High-rises have to have a certain amount of space around them anyway, but also there's rules about how much you're allowed to block your neighbors' sunlight. Basically, making taller buildings is allowed, but they can only be so much taller than the surrounding buildings. Over time, this means things could get very tall, but not quickly. As for unified styles, there's no laws about that AFAIK. They're probably just like that because the landowners want it that way. Lots of stuff in Japan is done (or not done) without any formal laws or rules, but rather because of social pressure and consensus. It's possible that some very unique or culturally-important districts do have certain rules though, which is why I wrote "... in most of Japan".
- fomine3 4y ago
  There's landscape policy per town https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/page/0000281400.html https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/tokei/page/0000281400.html